


Apple Picking

by TintedPink



Series: 13 Days of Halloween 2018 [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Gen, No superheroes, Pagan!Stephen, Stephen is a witch, Tony is just a sassy cat, apple orchard, apple picking, but like relgiously, cat!Tony, pagan representation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-21
Updated: 2018-10-21
Packaged: 2019-08-05 11:42:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16367228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TintedPink/pseuds/TintedPink
Summary: Tony is Stephen’s cat familiar and they are picking apples for their Samhain alter. Tony is Sassy and Stephen puts up with him because he loves him.





	Apple Picking

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by [this](http://summerpipedream.tumblr.com/post/179254217204/come-on-tony-no-bucky-crosses-his-arms-the) post on Tumblr with Tony as a familiar for Bucky. I loved the idea and needed more of it. This is that.  
> This is Day 3 of my [13 Days of Halloween Writing Challenge](https://iwritefanficsometimes.tumblr.com/post/179157044319/13-days-of-halloween-writing-challenge) *cough* Ironstrange *cough*  
> Prompt: Apple Picking  
> This is plotless and mostly from Tony’s perspective as a cat. Tony can’t speak with words, but he and Stephen are very close and Stephen has a general understanding of Tony. This is just an excuse to write Cat!Tony, though, not gonna lie.

Tony was sitting smuggly in a cloth lined wicker basket as Stephen drove them to the apple orchard. Stephen had tried to make Tony move, but the basket fit Tony just right, and asking him to move was just ridiculous. The basket was obviously his now. 

“Stop it, I can feel your smug from here,” Stephen said as he pulled into a parking spot. “I need you to behave. No repeats of last year.” Tony got up and stretched to show Stephen exactly how much he cared about behaving. He sighed and Tony flicked his ears triumphantly. Point one for the cat.

Stephen didn’t have much of a choice but to carry Tony in the basket to the orchard, he certainly wasn’t going to move. It would be good practice for carrying the apples, he assured Stephen as he curled up into an apples shaped ball. Mostly. He actually just wanted to go back to sleep, not that he’d ever admit that.

The woman selling bags for apples to go in was annoying and when she tried to pet him Tony swiped at her with his claws out. Luckily for the woman Stephen intervened, or Tony would have bit her for being so pretentious. She smelt like dogs and she _dared_ to touch him. Ridiculous. It was like humans were all morons.

“That isn’t behaving.” Stephen said when he was finally done interacting with the vile dog-woman. Tony batted at Stephen’s nose in what could only be called a half-apology. Stephen sighed, but then he pet Tony behind the airs, so he was pretty sure he got away with it.

When the reached the part of the orchard that Tony liked he meowed and Stephen stopped so Tony could jump out of the basket. He landed on the ground gracefully, of course, and then started walking in the direction of a cluster of trees that was far away from most of the other people. Stephen tried to stop a few times but Tony just started howling and insisted that they go further. Honestly, his human could be so dumb sometimes. It was like he didn’t even know how to pick the right tree. Finally, after a few more minutes of walking Tony stopped in front of a well established tree whose energy was positively glowing. This was a good tree. It would yield good fruit. If the human was smart enough to follow him. 

Tony turned his head and yowled for his human to hurry up. They were wasting time. If they weren’t quick someone else would take the tree before they did. They should get first pick. They deserved it. They were the best.

“I’m coming, hold on.” Stephen muttered under his breath, having been trying to stop at trees that weren’t quite so far since Tony decided to get out of the basket. Of course Tony wanted to walk as far away from other people as possible. Of course course he picked the strongest looking tree possible.

“This one, does it have to be this one?” Stephen asked, looking at the thick trunk and the heavy branches, not at all looking forward to trying to pick apples off of such a well established tree. Tony, for his part, went forward and used the tree to stretch himself upward and make it very clear that, yes, this was their tree.

Stephen drew a sigil in the ground with his finger for giving thanks and a fruitful harvest, then activated it by pouring a bottle of water over it. Tony danced out of the way of the trickling water, but otherwise stayed close to Stephen’s side. Batting at his annoying bright red coat when he was going to pass the perfect apple, or biting at his ankles when he was going to pick a bad one. After Tony practically walked his human through the picking of the apples, their basket was full and Tony was pleased. He walked beside Stephen back to their car, and everything was going great, until Stephen put the basket of apples in Tony’s seat. Tony jumped over the basket onto Stephen’s lap and meowed.

“What?” he asked, trying to rub some strength back into his hands after carrying the full basket all the way back to the car. Tony kneaded at his thighs and Stephen hissed, “What, what do you want?”

Tony jumped pointedly back into the passenger seat, what little of it wasn’t taken up by the apple basket, and meowed the way that Stephen hated most, long and loud and just a little bit too high.

“Alright, I’ll move the basket,” he said, lowering the basket to the floorboard. To reward him Tony rubs his face against his hand, because humans like to be claimed. It’s probably better that way. He rubs the scent glands in his whiskers on Stephen’s hand and the man laughs, scratching Tony behind the ears again. Tony tilts his head to get Stephen’s fingers right where he wants them, and shakes his head when he draws his hands away. Tony yawned and then kneaded at the seat so he could curl up on it for the drive back home. He opened one eye and looked at Stephen when he could still feel his eyes on him.

“You’re cute,” Stephen reached over to scratch Tony again, and he let him. He had a good human who listened to him and went to apple orchards and that was just the way he liked it. It was good to let him do what he wanted every once in a while. Stephen started try to scratch Tony’ belly and Tony grabbed his wrist, biting lightly at his fingers to remind him that, no, he wasn’t allowed to touch there. Stephen went back to scratching Tony under the chin and Tony relaxed again. 

It was good to let his human do what he wanted sometimes. Within reason.

**Author's Note:**

> Here's the post on [Tumblr](https://iwritefanficsometimes.tumblr.com/post/179286616559/day-3-apple-picking-13-days-of-halloween)  
> [Follow me](https://iwritefanficsometimes.tumblr.com) there for more of whatever the heck I'm doing!


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